Things Unsaid
by Daylight
Summary: Sam likes to call Dean when he's on the road, but unfortunately for the two of them, the important things still remain unsaid. 6x01 Spoilers


**Things Unsaid**

**By Daylight**

Dean still startles each time his cell phone rings and Sam's name appears on the screen. He can never quite shake the feeling he's getting calls from a ghost or suddenly has a direct line down to hell. It makes Dean hesitate just a second longer before answering and he wonders if his brother notices.

"Hey," he says.

"Hey," says Sam his voice sounding exactly the same as it always has even though Dean knows Sam isn't. "How you doing?"

"Me? I'm great," Dean lies because it's what Sam wants to hear. He doesn't mention the nightmares that returned when Sam did. The nightmares which leave him with cold sweats and choked on screams and have kept him from having a good night's sleep in weeks. "How are you?"

"I'm good," Sam lies because he doesn't want Dean to worry. He does that a lot these days. He doesn't mention the painful bruises covering his back or the 17 stitches in his left arm.

There's an awkward pause where there shouldn't be one.

"I'm in Decatur, Illinois," Sam eventually offers as if he were on vacation instead of tracking down a chupacabra which had developed a taste for toddlers.

"Yeah?" Dean encourages as if this were a normal conversation between two normal brothers. He can't think of anything more intelligent to say.

"Did you know they have a Chevrolet Hall of Fame Museum?" Sam doesn't mention that he'd only seen it because that's where the chupacabra had left the bodies of the five children or that he'd found himself unable to stop thinking of his brother as he'd crept through the blood-covered, vintage cars in search of the monster.

"Really? I'll have to check it out next time I pass through."

Neither of them bring up how unlikely that would be now that Dean's settled down or how he could have easily seen it if he had agreed to go with Sam.

"How are Lisa and Ben?" Sam asks because it's the right sort of thing to ask.

"Oh, they're good, good." Dean doesn't mention the fact that Ben has already gotten into trouble for fighting three times since school started or that Lisa is currently pissed at him for throwing holy water at one of her co-workers. It wasn't his fault the man sneezed when Dean said Christo. He had needed to be sure. He couldn't take any risks with his new family, not anymore. "How are Grandpa and our wayward cousins?" he asks though he'd really rather not know.

"They're good," Sam says and tries not to think about the fact one of his cousins almost got him killed because he hadn't anticipated Sam's moves like Dean would have. Samuel is better at it, but Sam is beginning to fear that his grandfather is hiding something and has his own agenda. "I'm learning a lot from them."

"That's good."

There's another awkward pause in which both of them remember how easily the words used to flow, filled with jokes and friendly insults.

Sam wishes they would fight because then he would know what to say.

Dean wishes Sam would try to talk about their feelings because then he'd know Sam was still Sam.

"Maybe I'll come up and visit sometime soon," Sam says even though he knows all the supernatural activity will keep him too busy and far away.

"That'd be nice," says Dean when he really wants to say it's a bad idea, that Sam will only draw trouble to his peaceful home, that Ben and Lisa are afraid of him.

More silence follows and Sam sighs. "I'd better go. I've got to get to Colorado by noon tomorrow." And track down whatever's causing the unprecedented number of drownings in Pagosa Springs.

"Right, yeah. I'd better go too. I have to get up early for work tomorrow and you know I need my beauty sleep." Though he'll probably just stay up all night again to avoid the nightmares.

"I'll call after I'm done the next job," Sam says hoping next time will be easier.

"Great, I'll look forward to it," Dean says though what he really feels is closer to dread.

"Bye, Dean," says Sam when what he really wants to say is 'I miss you."

"Bye, Sam," says Dean and doesn't mention the fact that sometimes it feels like his brother is still dead.


End file.
